1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to musical instruments and the like, and more particularly to a system of tuning musical instruments so that they are more harmonious with themselves and the other instruments of an ensemble.
2. Description of the Related Art
Musical instruments of a variety of types and sizes have been known throughout the ages. The work Science and Music, written by Sir James Jeans in 1937, sets forth a number of analytical inspections of music according to scientific theory.
Woodwinds, percussion instruments, and stringed instruments generally are used to make up the present-day symphony orchestra. However, the generation or creation of music through the use of electronic instruments has developed rapidly since Les Paul made the first electric guitar.
While such instruments, and the music created by them, enjoy great popularity, the amplification of the sounds generated by the plucking of the string and the pick up of its vibrations electronically have given rise to noticeable dissonance and harmonic discontinuities. Such dissonance generally arises from two sources. In stringed instruments, a plucked string drives other adjacent strings (at their natural frequencies). Also, the plucking, strumming, or driving of the major music-making section of the string drives the other portions of the plucked string. Additionally, such other collateral areas of the unplucked strings may also be driven by a plucked string.
The nature of stringed instruments (such as a guitar, mandolin, violin, or cello) is such that there is a main portion of the string that is played in order to elicit the musical tone. For a stringed instrument which is not subject to amplification, the note is then played into the sound box and then transmitted outwardly for the enjoyment of the audience. The same is similarly true for electronically amplified instruments such as electric guitars. However, instead of there being a sound box, the note is amplified electronically for playback through speakers or the like.
In both instances, the strings are generally held in tension by keys working against a fixed end of the string. Bridges or the like are used to isolate the main music-making portion of the string from other areas of the string. In an electric guitar, the position of the bridge may define a short segment of string between the fixed end of the string and an intonation point, between the intonation point and the nut, and between the nut and the key. As can be seen, there may be at least three, and maybe more, stringed segments that are subject to vibration.
The energy used to drive the main music-making portion of the string will necessarily be transmitted to all other parts of the string. Such transmission may be diminished, and most of the energy concentrated on or in the main music-making portion of the string; nevertheless, there will be some energy transmitted to the other string segments causing them to vibrate and to transmit tones at their natural frequency. If these collateral string segments are not in tune with the main string segment, natural dissonances will arise that are easily picked up by the powerful electronic amplification techniques currently in use today.
Additionally, the plucked string will generate overtones at intervals of the main and natural frequencies. These overtones, as well as the main tone, may serve to drive the other unplucked strings of the stringed instrument. The resonation of these other, unplucked strings will be detected by the magnetic pick-ups. While these vibrations of the unplucked strings could be damped, such damping is an inconvenient exercise and, in light of the present invention, may be unnecessary.
Dissonances present in unplucked strings driven by the tone of a plucked string generally arise from the tuning conventions established by history for stringed instruments. Generally, instruments like guitars, are tuned in fourths. Such tuning of consecutive strings in fourths serves to create overtones as well as xe2x80x9cclashy,xe2x80x9d inharmonious tones derived from or driven by the initial tone or overtones of the plucked or otherwise driven string.
With such intrinsic dissonance and inharmonious sympathetic vibrations, much more noise is generated in the production of music than is necessary. Consequently, it is a significant advance in the art to provide means by which such dissonance and lack of harmony may be remedied and replaced by consonance and harmony.
The present invention provides a system of instruments, each of which are generally tuned in fifths, in order to provide intrinsic harmony with respect to the other, main music-making portions of the instruments. Particularly, the present invention is directed toward string instruments and the sympathetic driving of the other strings on the instrument by the plucking or driving of an initial string.
Additionally, each of the strings is integrally harmonious with itself in that all aspects of the string from its fixed end to the tuning key are designed and constructed to as to provide consonance and harmony with the main music-making portion of the string. Such means include the use of the adjustable intonation points near the bridge position of the string, as well as a tension-adjusting bridge near the tuning key end of the string.
Due to the break with tradition that the present system realizes, new vocabulary and tuning schemes are established, including the use of 415.3 being the A note, as previously chosen by both Beethoven and Paganini. Currently, 440 is used for the A note.
It is an object of the present invention to provide more harmonious music.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide more harmonious stringed musical instruments.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide better harmony for an instrument with itself.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an ensemble of integrally harmonious instruments.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide harmonious musical instruments by tuning them in fifths.
It is yet another object of the present invention to have symmetry of playing positions by having five strings in a musical instrument tuned in fifths.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from a review of the following specification and accompanying drawings.